Gamboa Wins 1.30m Open Jumpers for Step by Step Foundation at Summer in the Rockies VI

Kristen VanderVeen Successfully Moves Bull Run’s Revive Up to Take the $2500 1.40m Open Jumpers

Parker, CO – July 17, 2013 – Show jumping returned to the Kathy and Brad Coors Family Grand Prix Arena at the Colorado Horse Park as Summer in the Rockies VI got underway.

International course designer Danny Foster returned to design the courses for the final week of the series. Foster built a track with turns and bending lines that provided the opportunity for horse and rider combinations to demonstrate their abilities while singling out the top contenders for the jump-off rounds. The day’s courses got things rolling after the two-day break in the Summer in the Rockies circuit.

For the $2,500 1.30m Open Jumpers class, 12 of 23 horse and rider combinations progressed to the short track. Of the 12, 8 were double clear. Mario Gamboa and VDL Vinzell, owned by Stransky’s Mission Farms, were the fastest double clear, crossing the timer at 40.762. Andrew Kocher and Wicoca, owned by Alexandra Biederman, earned second with a time of 40.775 and Delaney Flynn and Jennifer Flynn’s Quite Quick received third place honors with a time of 42.423.

Gamboa works for trainer Hector Florentino and Stransky’s Mission Farms. All proceeds of their winnings go to the Step by Step Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Liliane Stransky that enhances the lives of underprivileged children. The Foundation creates and supports health, nutrition, water, and education programs that promote the human rights and development of children worldwide.

“You’re riding and doing what you love- what you really enjoy doing – and at the same time you get to help people,” said Gamboa, who is from Bogota, Colombia. “I really like that.”

“She’s a really great mare, she’s fast and goes clean- she’s a winner,” said Gamboa about VDL Vinzell. “It was a really good course today. You had many opportunities to go inside. I really liked it.”

Florentino has a committed group of clients that all ride for the Step by Step Foundation, including Daniela Stransky, who will ride in the Welcome class and the Grand Prix this week, and Jackson Brittan, who won the $10,000 Low Junior Amateur Classic out of 51 entries last week aboard Ugaz. Brittan’s twin brother, Spencer Brittan, another talented junior rider, went double clear in today’s 1.30m Open Jumpers, ending up in seventh place. Look for both Gamboa and Florentino in the Welcome and the Grand Prix later this week.

“I like the footing,” said Florentino about the changes at Colorado Horse Park. “We appreciate the benefits – the horses jump better. We like to go to a place that is beautiful, the people are nice and it has good footing. We are happy about that.”

Kristen VanderVeen and Bull Run’s Revive

In the $2,500 1.40m Open Jumper, Kristen VanderVeen and Bull Run’s Revive edged out the competition, including second place finishers Armando Hassey and Eminem and third place pair Sarah Tredennick and Zenith Dance to clinch the win. VanderVeen was surprised and pleased with the win.

“It was the first time I moved him up,” she said. “My brother showed him once in the high amateurs, but was moving him up this week to see if he’d be ready for the Welcome. That’s encouraging he did so well today.”

Revive is an 8-year-old that VanderVeen imported from Germany last year.

“I’ve taken my time with him because I have high hopes that he will be an up-and-coming grand prix horse for me,” she explained. “I’m just now trying to test the waters to see if he’s ready to start the bigger classes. He thinks he’s the man- a lot of confidence. He always goes in the ring and he always wants to jump and he’s excited to do his job. He has quite the personality.”

“The courses are very different this week,” VanderVeen continued. “There are very twisty lines and a lot of bending lines and rollbacks out of the corners that, with that horse, was a bit of a challenge. So I’m really happy how he went today. He’s always going to jump, but we are still working on his turning and his rideability in the turns. He handled the turns well and still looked for the jumps.”

Summer in the Rockies VI returns on Thursday. The highlight of the day in the Kathy and Brad Coors Family Grand Prix Arena will be the $15,000 McElvain Energy Welcome Stake.

The Colorado Horse Park Summer in the Rockies Fast Facts

What: Summer in the Rockies AA-Rated Hunter Jumper Show Series

Event Dates:

Summer in the Rockies I June 5-9, 2013
Summer in the Rockies II June 12-16, 2013
Summer in the Rockies III June 19-23, 2013
Summer in the Rockies IV July 3-7, 2013
Summer in the Rockies V July 10-14, 2013
Summer in the Rockies VI July 17-21, 2013

Prize List:

Click here for an online version of the prize list. For a hard copy of the prize list, please e-mail prizelist@cohorsepark.com with your name, address and phone number and specify which prize list you would like (spring/fall or summer).

Celebrating its 20th Anniversary, the Colorado Horse Park was founded by visionary Helen Krieble who acknowledged the need for a high-volume horse show and horse boarding facility to serve Colorado. The Colorado Horse Park welcomes more than 75,000 visitors per year and hosts over 40 competitions annually. CHP features a derby arena designed by Olympic-designer Linda Allen and a cross-country course designed by Olympic Gold Medalist David O’Connor and eventing super-star James Atkinson. There are 300 permanent stalls with capacity for more than 1,000 stalls.

The picturesque property, located only minutes from the town of Parker, hosts international equestrian events in multiple disciplines. Visitors enjoy the beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountain surroundings and access to miles of trails and open space. The Colorado Horse Park is committed to supporting equestrian education and amateur athletics, preserving open space, fundraising for local charities and supporting the community.